Bridge employment is the labor force
participation pattern increasingly observed in older workers
between their career jobs and complete labor force
withdrawal. It serves as a transition process from
employment to full retirement. Typical bridge employment
decisions include full retirement, career bridge employment,
and bridge employment in a different field. Three dominant
theories (i.e., role theory, continuity theory, and life
course perspective) on retirement processes were reviewed in
this work. Longitudinal data of two nationally
representative samples from the Health and Retirement Survey
were used to test the current hypotheses regarding the
antecedents and health outcomes of bridge
employment/retirement status. The results showed that bridge
employment/retirement status could be predicted by
individual attributes, job-related psychological factors,
and retirement planning. In turn, taking bridge employment
showed beneficial effects on health outcomes. Their
relationships were not moderated by pre-retirement work
stress and financial condition. These findings provided both
theoretical and practical
implications.